Hi guys, we have Charlie Cochet stopping by today with the tour for her newest THIRDS release Against the Grain, we have a fantastic exclusive excerpt, a fabulous giveaway and Tams review, so enjoy the post and click that Rafflecopter link <3 ~Pixie~ 

Against the Grain

Charlie Cochet

As the fiercest Defense Agent at the THIRDS, Destructive Delta’s Ash Keeler is foul-mouthed and foul-tempered. But his hard-lined approach always yields results, evident by his recent infiltration of the Coalition. Thanks to Ash’s skills and the help of his team, they finally put an end to the murdering extremist group for good, though not before Ash takes a bullet to save teammate Cael Maddock. As a result, Ash’s secrets start to surface, and he can no longer ignore what’s in his heart.

Cael Maddock is no stranger to heartache. As a Recon Agent for Destructive Delta, he has successfully maneuvered through the urban jungle that is New York City, picking up his own scars along the way. Yet nothing he’s ever faced has been more of a challenge than the heart of Ash Keeler, his supposedly straight teammate. Being in love isn’t the only danger he and Ash face as wounds reopen and new secrets emerge, forcing them to question old loyalties.

Exclusive Excerpt

“Come on.” Ash motioned for Cael to follow him, and his heart swelled when Cael stopped pedaling and got off the bike to join him. He didn’t ask any questions. Ash asked him to follow, and Cael did. Truth be told, Ash would have done the same. Wherever one led, the other would follow. Ash had never had that level of trust with anyone but Sloane. Cael told Rosa he’d come find her later and followed Ash out of the gym. “We’re going to train,” Ash said as they entered the boxing bay.

“We are?” Cael stopped beside Ash’s bag, which was exactly where he’d left it. The boxing bay wasn’t very busy, which was how he preferred it. Anytime he sparred with someone, agents would gather to watch him kick his opponent’s ass. Ash only kicked someone’s ass when they deserved it. Unfortunately, there was always someone who deserved it. Why? Because they were stupid enough to challenge him.

In Unit Alpha, there was always someone who wanted to prove how hard they were, and what better way to do that than trying to take down

Destructive Delta’s Ash Keeler? Ash had a reputation. He’d lost count of all the names he’d been called. He really didn’t give a fuck. He had a job to do and a way of doing it. Whoever didn’t like it could kiss his ass. He had no time for inflated egos. Most of their fellow agents respected him and his skills, but there were always those asshats who thought Ash was their personal Everest to climb.

“What kind of training?”

Cael watched intently as Ash reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of clean hand wraps. He tossed them at Cael, who caught them, his expression puzzled.

“My kind of training.”

“Up close and personal? Why?”

Ash took one roll from Cael and took hold of his hand, smiling at the way Cael’s cheeks flushed ever so slightly. Ash proceeded to wrap Cael’s hand. “Because you need to be prepared.”

“I am.”

“You could be prepared better.”

Cael’s eyes narrowed. “Does this have to do with Hogan?”

“Yes.” Ash readied himself. He firmly wove the wrap around Cael’s knuckles, under his thumb, around his palm and wrist, making sure there was enough flexibility. Cael’s frown deepened.

“You don’t think I can take care of myself?”

“You know that’s not it.” Ash finished up and took hold of the other roll and Cael’s hand again. He lingered slightly, his thumb stroking Cael’s palm. He wasn’t sure his distraction would work. Not when he could see the little wheels in Cael’s head spinning furiously as he put two and two together.

“Then why do you want to train me all of a sudden? Did Dex put you up to this?”

With a sigh, Ash went to work wrapping Cael’s hand. “He’s worried about you.” He could have lied, but if their relationship was ever going to get started, he wanted it to be on the right track. No lies, no secrets, no bullshit.

“I knew it. I can’t believe this. He keeps telling me he’s going to stop treating me like a kid, but it never ends.”

Cael tugged his hand out of Ash’s grip, the wrapping unraveling. Ash snatched a hold of it before it could hit the floor.

“Hey, your brother loves you. You can’t be mad at him for wanting you to be safe.”

“Yes, I can,” Cael huffed, turning to march off, his one hand still wrapped.

“Come here. Please.” Damn. How was it that Cael looked adorable even when he was pissed off? “Cael. Please.”

With a frustrated groan, Cael turned and headed back to Ash. “What?”

Ash lowered his voice so no one else could hear him. There were no Therian agents anywhere near them, but he didn’t want to risk it. “Had Dex not approached me, I would have suggested it myself anyway. When I found out Hogan had you, I wanted to tear all those bastards apart with my bare hands. I couldn’t stand the thought of him hurting you. It’s not because you can’t handle yourself, but things are getting rougher out there. The Order, the Coalition? It’s only the beginning.” He put his hand to Cael’s shoulder, his thumb finding a small patch of skin to stroke. “Please. I need you to do this for me. For my peace of mind. But I also need you to want this for yourself.”

Cael wrinkled his nose. “Fine.”

“It’s not going to be easy.” Ash took hold of Cael’s hand again and gave it a small squeeze. Cael knew what he was agreeing to. What he was getting into.

“I can handle it,” Cael stated firmly.

“I won’t hold back.” If they were going to do this, they were going to do it right. Ash only had one way of training. All or nothing. His opponent could either hack it or they couldn’t. He never cut corners, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start with Cael. “Do you trust me?”

Cael’s expression softened. “You know I do.”

“Okay.” Ash finished wrapping Cael’s hand. “I promise you, this is going to hurt me as much as it does you.”

“You’re going to kick my ass to get me ready. I get it. We gonna get started, or we gonna stand around talking about our feelings all day?”

“Ooh.” Ash held his hands up in front of him. “The claws have come out.”

About Charlie

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From adventurous agents and sexy shifters, to society gentlemen and hardboiled detectives, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

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Giveaway!

Win a Against the Grain Swag Pack and $10 Amazon Gift Card!

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Review

Title: Against the Grain

Series: THIRDS 05

Author: Charlie Cochet

Genre: Paranormal, Suspense

Length: Novel (220 pages)

ISBN: 9781634763752

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (August 3rd 2015)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Tams

Blurb: As the fiercest Defense Agent at the THIRDS, Destructive Delta’s Ash Keeler is foul-mouthed and foul-tempered. But his hard-lined approach always yields results, evident by his recent infiltration of the Coalition. Thanks to Ash’s skills and the help of his team, they finally put an end to the murdering extremist group for good, though not before Ash takes a bullet to save teammate Cael Maddock. As a result, Ash’s secrets start to surface, and he can no longer ignore what’s in his heart.

Cael Maddock is no stranger to heartache. As a Recon Agent for Destructive Delta, he has successfully maneuvered through the urban jungle that is New York City, picking up his own scars along the way. Yet nothing he’s ever faced has been more of a challenge than the heart of Ash Keeler, his supposedly straight teammate. Being in love isn’t the only danger he and Ash face as wounds reopen and new secrets emerge, forcing them to question old loyalties.

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6635

Review: Ash Keeler and Cael Maddock have been partners and best friends for years, but lately, the mechanics of their relationship is shifting. Cael has been in love with Ash for almost as long as they’ve been friends, but he’s kept those feelings buried, believing his partner to be straight. When Cael’s life was threatened on their last mission, he decided not to go down without a fight and admitted his true feelings to Ash.

And as luck would have it, the feelings seemed to be mutual. But now Ash is pulling away and closing himself off again. Cael realizes he may forever be pining for a man who is incapable of returning the love, but if he has to wait forever, he will.

Ash is determined to keep Cael out of harm’s way and admitting his feelings for his partner means Ash’s enemies could use his love for Cael against him, possibly hurt the Cheetah shifter. That’s not all of it though; Ash doesn’t know how to handle his constantly changing emotions or how to deal with possible backlash from admitting he is gay. Not to mention the Supervisor over their current case seems to have secrets of her own, secrets that could get them all killed.

When Ash, Sloane and Hobbs are kidnapped in a hi-jacking gone wrong and Calvin is critically injured; Cael, Dex and the team will stop at nothing, risk everything to ensure the men they love are found. But there is still a danger to Cael, a threat from his past is somehow woven into the twisted mess they are trying to resolve and even if they find their missing team members and bring them home, will Ash and Cael ultimately loose one another regardless?

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Ash completely out of his element. He is large and in charge and used to being in control in every aspect of his life. But love is this psychotic, insane mix of emotions that you have to bend and flow with, you can’t control it, so Ash is having a little trouble with that aspect. It’s a constant push and pull between him and Cael, two steps forward, three steps back. And as frustrated as Cael is with it, he actually tells Ash at one point he’s so crazy stupid in love with him that he will probably continue to put up with the pain it causes him every time Ash pulls away indefinitely.

There is so much more going on under the surface though, Ash and Cael’s relationship drama is just the tip of the sword. The team is starting to wonder who is on the take and who they can trust. Calvin and Hobbs are having issues where those two usually have an unwavering confidence. Then there is the issue with Sloane looing control of his animal, more than once. To say their attention is stretched is an understatement, as they try to prioritize the decision is taken out of their hands with the hi-jacking and subsequent kidnapping.

I love this series and I love that with every question that is answered, another arises. Lots of potential for so many scenarios to play themselves out in the upcoming stories in this series. Personally, I’m anxiously awaiting Calvin and Hobbs story. I can’t wait to see how they navigate the rough relationship waters that both Ash and Sloane have succumbed to.

If you enjoy deeply intricate plot lines, well woven story lines and kick ass characters with real world problems then this is a must read for you. Lest I forget to mention the oh so sexy collection of alpha males that like to flare their nostrils and pretend they are in charge while their better half has them by the balls.

In a fun, sweaty, sexy sort of way.

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